South Africa’s ruling party executive to mull Zuma’s future
The leaders of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress will meet today following new party leader Cyril Ramaphosa’s call for unity last Monday.
Top of the agenda will be President Jacob Zuma’s future, with a motion of no confidence—which would be the president’s seventh since assuming power in 2009—likely to be proposed. At this stage, it’s unclear whether Mr Zuma’s ouster is on the cards; the 86 voting leaders of the ANC are almost evenly split in their support or opposition to the embattled president and a decision must be reached by consensus. Raising a motion could be politically risky for Ramaphosa, however, with defeat exposing weakness and fractures in the ANC, further exacerbate its division.
Elsewhere today, a parliamentary committee will deliberate the process for impeaching presidents. The process will likely constitute the establishment of another committee to determine whether a sitting president has violated the law, committed serious misconduct, or is incapable of running the office. If the committee proposes to remove a sitting president, approval from two-thirds of parliament will be required for impeachment.
With pressure mounting on all sides, Zuma must fight to retain his presidency ahead of elections next year.
Start your day with an open-source intelligence briefing. Download The Daily Brief app.
